Hathiram Bhavaji
Hathiram Bhavaji or Hathiram Baba or Hathiram Bairagi[1][2] was a saint from Raipur Dalpatpur Uparhar, Maya, Ayodhya who visited Tirumala around 1500 CE[3] on a pilgrimage and became a devotee of Lord Venkateswara.[4][5] He settled there by setting up an ashram near the temple. According to a legend, he had the privilege of playing dice with Venkateswara.
Hathiram Bhavaji (हाथीराम भावजी) | |
|---|---|
 Hathiram Bhavaji playing dice with Lord Venkateswara | |
| Born | Hathiram Bairagi Unknown (1500 CE) Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Died | Unknown Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Resting place | Unmarked samadhi on Venkatadri Hill, Seshachalam, Tirumala |
| Other names | Hathiram Baba |
| Known for | Being a devotee of Venkateswara |
The 1974 Kannada movie Sri Srinivasa Kalyana has the story of Bhavaji at the end, the role of Bhavaji played by Raja Shankar. The 2017 Telugu movie Om Namo Venkatesaya captures the story of Bhavaji in a great manner, with the role of Bhavaji played by Nagarjuna Akkineni.
हाथी राम बाबा का इतिहास:-
बाबा हाथीराम हथिया परास तिवारी वंश के अवतारी ब्राह्मण संत थे।उन्हें अनेक सिद्धियां प्राप्त थी।भगवान श्री राम के अनेकों बार दर्शन हो चुके थे। भगवान विष्णु के अनन्य उपासक थे वैष्णो संत बाबा हाथीराम वैदिक ब्राह्मण थे। उन्हें भौतिक रिचा उपनिषदों योग सांख्य दर्शन आदि का पूर्ण ज्ञान था। उन्हें अयोध्या में सरयू स्नान करके परिक्रमा के समय भगवान का आदेश हुआ कि अयोध्या से पूर्व जहां दलदली भूमि में चमकती हुई धर्मशिला दिखे वहां पर जाकर आप तप करो वहीं पर हमारे दर्शन तुम्हें प्राप्त होंगे। बाबा जी जैसे ही वहां पहुंचे तो दलदली भूमि सूख गई और सरयू नदी 51 कदम उत्तर दिशा में खिसक गई ।धर्मशिला पर त्रिपिंड स्थापित कर बाबा हाथीराम बैठ गए और तपस्या करने लगे। अनेक वर्षों के बाद उन्हें भगवान के साक्षात दर्शन हुए ।उनके ही वंश के दो बालक उनके शिष्य बने जिनका नाम रामअलख तिवारी एवं राम आसरे तिवारी था।कल-कल करती हुई सरयू नदी की धारा और घने जंगल के पशु वैर भाव भूलकर सुख पूर्वक एक साथ विचरण करते थे।बाबाजी यज्ञ करते थे।तो उसका प्रसाद और भस्म सभी को वितरण करते थे। जिसमें पशु पक्षी जल जंतु से लेकर भूमिगत जीव जैसे चींटी,सर्प,चूहे आदि तृप्त होकर नृत्य करने लगते थे।अनेक चमत्कार बाबा के धर्म ग्रंथों में उल्लेखित है जो ट्रस्ट के द्वारा प्रकाशित किया गया है ।
बाबा हाथीराम को प्रभु श्री राम का आदेश हुआ कि दक्षिण भारत में जाकर धर्म ध्वजा लहराए और सनातन धर्म का प्रचार प्रसार करें ।
बाबा हाथीराम के चमत्कारिक त्रिपिंड और राम अलख तिवारी को सुपुर्द कर उसका पूजा पाठ एवं संरक्षण वैदिक शास्त्र नियमों के अनुसार करने का आदेश दिया और कहा कि तुम्हारा वंश अक्षुण रहेगा।जो इस चमत्कारी त्रिपिंड का पूजा अर्चन,व्यवस्थापन और नियोजन करेगा।
मैं दूसरे शिष्य राम आश्रय के साथ दक्षिणावर्त (दक्षिण भारत) जा रहा हूं। और फिर दोनों लोग अयोध्या गए भगवान श्री राम के दर्शन किए परिक्रमा किया।और दक्षिण भारत पहुंचकर तिरुमला पहाड़ी पर पहुंचकर चंदन के वन में अपनी कुटिया धूनी रमाई। राम आश्रय के साथ बहुत दिनों तक वहां पर रहे एवं तप
कि।या तिरुपति बालाजी भगवान वेंकटेश्वर का प्रत्यक्ष साक्षात्कार प्राप्त किया तिरुपति बालाजी प्रतिदिन बाबा के साथ त्रिात में उनकी कुटिया मे चौंसर खेलते थे।जिसके इतिहास का वर्णन इनके धर्म ग्रंथों में विद्यमान है। बाबा हाथीराम के शिष्य आमाश्रय बाल ब्रह्मचारी जीवन पूर्ण करते हुए शरीर छोड़ दिया और बाबा जी तिरुपति बालाजी के आदेश पर समाधि समाधि होकर तप करने लगे।समय आने पर तिरुपति बालाजी ने उन्हें सशरीर अपने में समाहित कर लिया।
इस तरह बाबा के शिष्य राम अलख ने उस त्रिपिंड को वैदिक शास्त्र कथित से पूजन करते रहे बाबा के आशीर्वाद से उनके वंशज अद्यतन यह कार्य कुशलता पूर्वक संपन्न कर रहे हैं और उनका वंश अक्षुण बना हुआ है।मंदिर से अनेक कल्याणकारी कार्य संपादित किए जाते हैं।
जो आज भी रायपुर दलपतपुर मयाबाजार अयोध्या में मंदिर स्थापित है और हर मंगलवार को वहां हजारों की संख्या में भक्त दर्शन करने के लिए जाते हैं।
विशेषत माघ के महीने में बुढ़वा मंगल से लेकर फाल्गुन मास के पूर्णिमा तक लाखों की संख्या में भीड़ होती है और वहां पर भक्त कड़ाही देते हैं। ऐसा मान्यता है कि मिट्टी की कड़ाही में पूड़ी और हलवा बनाकर चढ़या जाता है जो हर मंगलवार व पूर्णिमा के दिन श्रद्धालु चढ़ते हैं।
मंदिर में वहां पर श्रद्धालुओं कड़ाही देने के साथ-साथ श्रीसत्यनारायण कथा, हवन, ग्रह पूजा, रुद्राभिषेक आदि वहां के महंत व पुजारी द्वारा करवातें हैं।
History of Hathi Ram Baba: -thiram was born into a middle-class family in the village Dalpatpur Uparhar in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. His real name was Aasa Ram Baljot. His Father's name was Des Raj Baljot. He has four brothers named, Kahna Ram, Meena Ram, Gulaba Ram and Budh Ram Baljot. His family moved to a Village Gunachaur near Banga city of Punjab. Every year on 5 Ashaad, people from Punjab and Himachala gather at village Gunachaur to pay tributes to Baba Hathiram. He stayed at Village Gunachaur for long time, then he left in the search of real God. The old name of village Gunachaur was "Tilla Raja Gopichand". According to legend Hathiram named Lord Venkateswara as Balaji.[6] Not much of historical data is available about his life.[7]
Hathiram was a devotee of Rama (an avatar of Vishnu). When he visited Tirumala, he decided to stay there and set up an ashram outside the temple.[4] Hathiram Bhavaji Mutt was established in his name in Tirumala.[8]
Legend
It is believed that Venkateswara was pleased with his devotion and used to come to his place to play dice with him. One day, the game went on for too long and the Lord suddenly remembered that he was getting late for the daily worship. In a hurry, He left one of his ornaments, a necklace, in Bhavaji's ashram. When the priests opened the temple the next day, they found that an ornament was missing, and instituted a search for it. Bhavaji also realized what happened, and wanted to return the ornament to the temple. He was however caught and house-arrested by the temple guards who thought he was the thief.
The matter reached the king, and he asked Bhavaji why he had stolen the ornament. Bhavaji narrated the incident of the previous night. The king expectedly did not believe the story and ordered his servants to fill the compound of Bhavaji's house with sugarcane, and asked Bhavaji to eat all of the sugarcane before dawn. If he failed, he will be sentenced to death. The king also asked his guards to stand outside the house to ensure that nobody went in. Since it was practically impossible to eat such a large amount of sugarcane for any human in one night, Bhavaji simply sat chanting the name of the Lord. After he eventually fell asleep, Venkateswara appeared in the form of a huge elephant appeared inside his home, finished the sugarcane within moments, and disappeared.
In the morning, the king was surprised to see all the sugarcane eaten. He verified with his guards that no elephant was seen the previous night outside the locked house. He then realized that the Lord himself had appeared as an elephant to save his devotee. The king was shocked and made Bhavaji the supervisor of the daily rituals performed at the Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala. Hathi means elephant in Hindi, and Bhavaji frequently chanted Ram. That is how he supposedly got his name.
It is believed that he died in Sajeeva Samadhi by being buried alive on his wish with the consent of Venkateswara. It is believed that Hathiram is still alive in the form of a soul (Atma) and is carrying out the main rituals and services to the deity in the Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala tirupati
Hathiramji Mutt
The Hathiramji Mutt was established in his name was used to administer the Tirumala temple from 1843 to 1932 before the creation of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.[9][10]
In popular culture
In the 1960 film, Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam, Chittor V. Nagaiah became the first actor to portray the role of Hathiram Bhavaji. In the 2017 Telugu film, Om Namo Venkatesaya, Nagarjuna Akkineni portrayed the role of Hathiram Bhavaji. Thus, South Indian plays or movies, specifically in the 1974 Kannada film, Sri Srinivasa Kalyana, adapted Hathiram Bhavaji in Venkateswara and Tirupati stories.
References
- "संत परंपरा: तिरुपति के संत हाथीराम बैरागी".
- "Sri Hanuman of Sri Swamy Hathiramji Mutt, Vellore, Tamilnadu".
- Shantha, Nair (2013). Sri Venkateswara: Lord Balaji and his holy abode of Thirupati. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House. p. 12. ISBN 978-81-8495-445-5. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link) - Ramachandra Pai, N. A. "Hathiram Baba". speakingtree.in. Speeking Tree. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- Team, panditbooking (8 July 2016). "The Story of Lord Balaji's favorite devotee Hathiramji Baba and the name of Balaji to the Lord of Tirupati". spiritual.panditbooking.com. Panditbooking. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- Jagannatha Rao, P. T (1952). A Symposium on Tirupati Venkateswara (PDF). Tirupati: Hathiramji Publications. p. 17. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- Pranita, Jonnalagedda. "Bringing Baba Hathiram to life onscreen is a big challenge: Nagarjuna". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Times News Network. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- Staff Reporter (22 March 2016). "అంతర్యామీ.. అలసితీ !". sakshi.com. Jagati Publications. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- Staff Reporter (20 March 2008). "Hathiramji Mutt gets back its land". The Hindu. Kasturi and Sons. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- Vasanatha, P (7 January 2008). "Mahants Of Hathiramji Mutt 1843 1933". University. Sri Venkateswara University. hdl:10603/104596. Retrieved 27 September 2016.